PodSAM

About PodSAM

The podcast channel of SAM (Ski Area Management) Magazine

Publisher

SAM Magazine

Category

business · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Apr 2018

Latest episode

23 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 95 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Summit Series: People vs. Projects

   Ski area leaders juggle two demanding roles: developing people and delivering projects. This session with the Class of 2025-26 Summit Series cohort dives into how mentors strike that balance — keeping teams motivated while hitting deadlines, shaping culture while driving results, and navigating the constant pull between personalities and priorities. Mentors: John Melcher, CEO, Crystal Mountain, Mich. Jean Mikulas, President and GM, Red Lodge Mountain, Mont. Lori Phillips, GM, Ski Big Bear, Pa. Hugh Reynolds, Partner and CMO, SNOW Partners, N.J. Ryan Schramm, GM, Powderhorn Mountain Resort, Colo. Mentees: Chris Adams, VP of Mountain Experience, Boyne Mountain Resort, Mich. Beck Badger, Lead Marketing Coordinator, Gunstock Mountain Resort, N.H Drew Brewer, Director of Mountain Experience, Alyeska Resort, Alaska Sam Burns, Snowmaking Supervisor, Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz. Julie Bush, Marketing Specialist, Wisp Resort, Md. Teagan Knudson, Front Desk & Guest Services and Ski Patrol Manager, Snowriver Mountain Resort, Mich. Ryan Leclerc, Location Manager, Adult & Private Lesson Programs, Beaver Creek, Colo. Rebecca Repp, Director of Food & Beverage, Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho Shayna Silverman, Communications Manager, Arapahoe Basin, Colo. Gabriel Sudermann, Manager of Mountain Operations, Camp Fortune, Que. Leadership Coach: Lex Curtis, Founder, Field of Play Consulting Thank you to our sponsor, MountainGuard, for their support of this program.

2. 

   13 Jan 2026

   From Data to Decisions: AI in Dashboard, Reporting, and Security

   In this episode, we explore how ski areas are using artificial intelligence to better understand performance, streamline reporting, and make more informed decisions across their operations. This conversation comes from SAM and Eternity’s Ski Resort AI Bootcamp session held in October 2025, where industry leaders gathered to share practical examples of how AI is being applied across resort operations. As resorts collect more data than ever—from ticketing and marketing to weather and staffing—the challenge has shifted from access to insight. AI is opening new possibilities, but it also raises important questions about data governance, security, and responsible use. In this conversation, SAM publisher Olivia Rowan is joined by three industry leaders to discuss how they’re applying AI in practical, meaningful ways: Dave Amirault, Chief Innovation Officer, SNOW Partners Michael Anselmi, Vice President, Revenue Strategy and Business Development, Boyne Resorts Matt Peterson, Vice President of Marketing, Palisades Tahoe, Calif. They share real-world examples of how better data structure leads to faster decision-making, where AI is already delivering value, and what resorts should be thinking about as these tools continue to evolve.

3. 

   22 Sept 2025

   After the Ice

   In this episode, we head to northern Michigan, where a late-season storm left one of the Midwest’s largest ski resorts encased in ice. The Highlands, part of Boyne Resorts, took the brunt of a March 2025 weather event so severe it shattered tree limbs like matchsticks, buried trails, and left parts of the property without power for weeks. What followed was a massive recovery effort—bolstered by grit, camaraderie, and a whole lot of chainsaws. SAM’s senior editor Katie Brinton and publisher Olivia Rowan sat down with The Highlands general manager Mike Chumbler, resort services director Mari Kissinger, area manager Robby Ortlieb, and Boyne Resorts vice president of mountain sports development Jeremy Cooper to hear how the team navigated danger in the immediate aftermath, rallied help from across the Boyne network, and turned a crisis into an opportunity to strengthen community and prepare for the future. Read "After the Ice" in the September 2025 issue of SAM.

Inside a recent episode

Summit Series: People vs. Projects

Published 23 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And the first one is what I'm gonna call, and both these mindset shifts are, important because the way we think about our roles as leaders will ultimately determine the results that we create and so the first mindset mindset shift that i want to talk about is the results don't happen from you but rather they they happen through others And so early on in our careers, oftentimes our value comes from maybe the technical skills that we have or our ability to deliver or the output that we create. But as we move into our leadership roles, the value starts to shift and it's less about what we do on our end as much and becomes much more about how we enable others to perform. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

33 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

24

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51